Mattress and cushion



June 1931- Y L. A. SUEKOFF Re. 18,101

MATTRESS "AND CUSHION Original FifeciJime 9, 1926 r///////////'////////)////////fi II/l/l/llI/lll/l/ll/l/l l/ lllllllllll/I/I y I I I I III IIIIII Reissued June 16, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE LOUIS A. SUEKOFF, OF WILMETTE, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO FRED) A. NACHMAN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS MATTRESS AND CUSHION Original 1T0. 1,700,339, dated January 29, 1929, Serial No. 114,599, filed June 9, 1926. Application for reissue filed November 5 1930. Serial No. 493,665. I

This invention relates to improvements in mattresses and cushions of the spring-filled t pe and to methods of making the same, the 0 jects of the invention being to provide a 5 product of the type aforesaid which is cheap,

durable and efficient and capable of being produced with a minimum of hand labor and with unskilled hand labor and to provide a method of producing the same which is rapid and cheap and which eliminates waste of materials.

The invention is fully illustrated in the accompanying drawings wherein Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a mattress or cushion constructed in accordance with the invention.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the same.

Fig. 3 is a detail fragmentary plan view of an inner face of a top or bottom wall of the mattress.

- Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic view illustrative of the method of making the walls of the mattress or cushion.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary diagrammatic plan View of a portion of the mechanismof Fig. 4.

The invention consists essentially in producing finished padded walls for mattresses and'cushions which said walls are equipped with means for engaging springs therewith to retain said walls yieldingly in spaced rela 'tion to each other and, at the same time, re-

taining the said springs in spaced relation to each other. The invention also comprisesthe method of forming said spring engaging means with its associated parts.

To this end I first produce what may be termed quilts the outer exposed surfaces or 'walls of which, when incorporated in the structure, are composed of the ticking or other desired textile fabric while their inner walls are composed of a cheap fabric or fabrics suitable to the needs of the finished structure, a air of said quilts being disposed in opposed re ation to each other and joined by means of interposed springs inwardly of their peripheral edge portions while the latter are joined to-form the peripheral walls of the mattress or cushion. I

The mattress or cushion comprises the padded top and bottom walls each of which consists of an outer wall 1 of textile fabric such as ticking, a layer 2 of padding material, such as cotton, a second wall 3 of textile fabric underlying the padding material, and means mounted upon the Wall 3 for engaging the ends of coiled springs 4. In the instance illustrated the said means consist in a third Wall 5 of fabric stitched to the wall 3 by means of intersecting lines 6 of stitching relatively arranged to provide substantially square pockets between the fabrics 3 and 5. The latter is cut preferably diagonally of the said square pockets to provide slits, 7 through which the ends of the springs 4 are inserted into the said pockets. 1

It will be understood, of course, that other means or devices for engaging the said ends of the springs 4 may be substituted for the fabric 5, the latter and the lines of stitching 6 and slits 7 being merely exemplary of but constituting the preferred means for accomplishing my purpose.

The peripheral edge portions of the quilts formed by the padding 2 and fabrics 1 and 8, are preferably finished by stitching in any well-known manner and are subsequently secured together by stitching or other well- -known means, it being merely a matter of choice on the part of the manufacturer to finish the peripheral walls of the structure as illustrated or to vary therefrom.

The ends of the springs 4 are substantially circular and flat, that is to say, the wire forms a circular loop which is not at all or only slightly helical. Said loops are easily contractible to permit them to be sprung into the pockets between the fabrics 3 and 5 through the slits 7. When said ends are engaged in said pockets it is quite impossible for them to be released or freed therefrom except by the manual operation of again contracting the said endloops and withdrawing them through the slits 7.

The employment of the slitted fabric 5 is preferred over other means for engaging the ends of the springs 4 because said fabric 5 can be secured to the fabric 3 and the latter,

and the fabric 1 and padding 2, all secured together by the lines of stitching 6 which pass through all of said elements. The padslits 7101. thefahric 5. V

ding 2 is thus held against displacement far more efliciently than by means of the usual tufting and, furthermore, at far less expense.

The quilts may be very efficiently, quickly and cheaply made in themanner illustrated in Figs. 4 and 5. A machine for producing the layer 2 of padding is diagrammatically represented by a pair of rolls 8 which feed the padding continuously upon the table 9 0f the gang-needle sewing machine 10.

A roll 11 of ticking, for example, is arranged above the table and the ticking 1 passed under the roll 12. A roll 13 of bottom fabric is arranged below the table and the fabric 3 passed over a roll 14 projecting into v1aafiransuerse slot in the table 9. A roll 15 of fabric, such "as burlap, is arranged below the roll 14 and the fabric 5 passed over a roll 16 having its upper portion disposed approximately flush with the bottom of the table 9, the latter being provided with an opening adja ent to the roll 1.6 and extending well beyond the same. A pair of tension feed rolls 17 is arranged back ofthe sewing machine 10 for drawing the fabrics 1, 3 and 5 and the padding 2 at the requisite speed through the machine 10, the latter producing the longi udinal lines of stitching 6.

:Between the rolls l6 and 17 there isprovided a high-speed shaft 18 extending at angl of fortyfiv degnees toithe direction of travel of the fabrics and padding. This shaft carries the cutting disks L9 and isgiveu an up and down reciprocatory movement in the before mentioned opening in the table provided forthis purpose by means, for example, of bell-crank levers '20 which carry the bearings for said shaft 18 and whichmay be suitably associated with the roHsl'Z by means of a cam 21, to efi ect upward movements of said shaft and the cutting 9i slits 7 in the fabric '5 at proper intervals. The fabric'5 is thus ,slitted before it is stitched to thefabric '3.

B giving the threads of the end needles of the gang of the machine 10 far higher tensionthan the'threads'forming the interlmediate lines of stitching, the peripheral edge portions of thequiltingcan be rendered quite thin and said ed portions may be nicely finished by suit 1 le manipulation of the side edge portions of the fabric in advancenfithe needles of the machine 10.

It will beappreeiated that any mechanic skilled initheiserwing' machine art may supply thedetails of the mechanism which are omitted from illustration herein,

The uilting delivered from the machine 10 isesnita y out into desired lengths'and the -htter then passed. transversely of the direction 7 or travel though the machine '10,

lines of stitching in proper relation to the The springs 4 are then associated with a pair of opposed quilts by manual operation easily and quickly effected by unskilled labor and the peripheral edge portions of said quilts then properly overlapped and stitched together by a sewing machine.

Preferably these edges at one side or end of the mattress or cushion are left detached from each other and equipped with fastening devices 22, such as glove-fasteners, for example, so that the mattress may be opened up for cleansing internally by means of a vacuum cleaner, the hose of which may be easily passed between adjacent rows of springs 4.

By means of the foregoing method I eliminate several operations necessary to the production of spring-filled mattresses as heretofore practiced. That practice hasbeen to first produce the spring assembly consisting'of the fabric housing for the springs. This housing with its springs is then covered on all sides with thepadding and a mattress cover :then drawn over the padded assembly. The opeinend-of the cover is thoncloee-d by-stitching or otherwise and thereupon the structure is tufted byhand, highly skilled and expensivelabor beingzrequi red for these operations.

The outtingpdisk mechanism of the machine herein diagrammatically illustrated, may, together with the sewing machine, inf-so far as these zmeohanisms cooperate to secure to the fabnicfi the meansor devices for-attaching the springs 4 to the opposedfaces orwalls of the quilts forming the top and bottomwalls of themattrees or cushion, be regarded as the meansor mechanism forr'securing to said fab- 'ric 3 anysort of devices for attaching the springsthereto, the invention being not limited to the particular means herein shownand described. r

I claim as; my invention 1. In mattress or cushion manufacture, the method of simultaneously forming from suitable material a relatively outer element, and from suitable fabric forming and slitting a relatively inner means for detachably engaging the ends of springs while the'fabnit is under a feeding tension, and then while the fabric is still under said tension stitching T through the same and said relatively outer element on lines beyondthe slits? to partially define pockets fol-spring ends.

2. In mattress or cushion manufacture, the

-method of simultaneously forming from suitahlematerials Fa padding element and a spring attaching element in superposed-relation whilethe latter has an advancing move- "ment, sl tting'the sp ng a taching el m nt duringsaid movement for the reception of sp ingcnds, and eff ting the-se uring of the padding and spring attaching elements in operative association during an advancing movem nt of'hothmndapplying the springs thereto, r a

3. In mattress or cushion manufacture, the method of simultaneously forming from suitable materials a padding element and a spring attaching element of adjacent layers of fabric in superposed relation while the latter has an advancing movement, slitting the inner layer during said movement and while spaced from the outer layer for the reception of spring ends, and effecting the securing of the padding and spring attaching elements in operative association during an advancing movement of both, and applying springs thereto.

4. The method of making mattresses and cushions of the spring filled type which consists in first making padded quilts adapted to form the walls of a structure and simultaneously with the construction of said quilts attaching thereto means for detachably engaging the same with the ends of the springs, and thereafter attaching said quilts to said spr ngs.

5. The method of making cushion structures which includes disposing upon one face of a fabric sheet a layer of padding material and disposing upon the other face thereof fabric means for engaging springs with said fabric sheet, then passing stitch-chains through said layer of padding material, said fabric sheet and said fabric means to simultaneously permanently assemble the same, and engaging springs with said fabric means.

6. The method of making cushion structures which includes disposing over one face of a sheet of textile fabric a layer of padding material, disposing upon the other face of said sheet fabric means for cooperation with said fabric sheet to engage springs therewith, and then passing stitch chains through said layer of padding material, said fabric sheet and said fabric means simultaneously to permanently assemble the same, and engaging springs with said assembled structure.

7. The method of making cushion structures which includes disposing over one face of a sheet of textile fabric a layer of padding material, disposing upon the other face of said sheet fabric means for cooperation with said fabric sheet to engage springs therewith, then passing a set of parallel stitch chains through said padding material, said fabric sheet and said fabric means longitudinally of said sheet, then passing a second set of parallel stitch chains through said padding, said sheet and said fabric means transversely of said sheet, and engaging springs with said assembled structure.

8. The method of making cushion structures which consists in feeding a long strip of fabric web, a long layer of padding material disposed upon one face of said strip and a second sheet of fabric disposed upon the other face of said strip, simultaneously over a table, cutting rows of slots into the lastnamed fabric sheet at regular intervals during travel of said sheet, then passing arallel stitch chains simultaneously throug said layer of padding and said fabric sheets to assemble the same with the stitch chains disposed between the rows of slots in said slotted 

